Otters are the Top Mammals on Ice

Keith Oberman - ESPN News

After several frustrating seasons of coming up short, the IOHA Otters, behind a nearly flawless team performance took hockey’s second most prized trophy: The Stanley Keg.
Led by the relentless skating of the Russian 3 (Sergi Anufriev, Dimitri Smirnoff and Val Kasvin), the stellar net-minding of Jimmy ‘Mom likes me best’ Pozzobon and the gutsy (if not foolish) last game performance of Rob Caplan, the Otters defeated the 3 time reigning champions, the Intangibles 5 goals to 3.
The Otters jumped out to a commanding 4 to nothing lead behind constant on-slot of offensive pressure and defensive fore-checking, never giving the Intangibles the chance to settle into their rhythm. Sergi Anufriev played, what many people called, the game of his life by skillfully driving the net, jumping on turnovers and constantly harassing the Intangible’s troublesome forwards of Doug Lane and Jim White. “It was that constant pressure on the Intangible’s top line that was the key to the game” said Otter GM Aden Nolet, who watched the game via secure satellite feed at the team’s corporate headquarters in Atherton, CA. “Our game plan was to play our positions, skate hard and focus on keeping close tabs on their top players” Nolet continued. “I think we did a pretty good job at it”

It was all Otters in the first half of the game, netting four goals and allowing only one ‘flukey’ goal, halfway thru the Second. As a seemingly harmless puck found its way thru Pozzobon and was subsequently kicked in by Otter defenseman, Ted Brown. “I was trying to kick it back under Jimmy, but my feet got all tangled and I just kicked it in. Get off my back! That’s why I don’t play soccer” commented Brown.

The game took a deciding different feeling in the second half when a constant parade of Otter players headed to the penalty box. Defenseman David Warner and center Gary Ahern both received 2 penalties each, including a nail-biting 5-3 in the later part of the third period which gave the Intangibles a full 2 minute 2 man advantage. “It was a rough and tough fought game out there, but I didn’t understand some of the calls that were made” said Ahern. “Whatever game the refs were watching, must have been a good one, I just wish it was OUR game that they were paying attention to”.

In the end, the Intangibles closed to with-in a goal late in the third, but the incredible focus on the system and relentless skating of the Otters refused to let the Intangibles generate any significant pressure. The last second, empty-net goal by Anufriev was a fitting end to an impressive TEAM victory.

3 Stars of the Game

1. Sergi Anufriev
2. Rob Caplan
3. Jimmy Pozzobon